Journey Beyond the Moon
by bohemianxx
Summary: But when I think back on it now, think back to the past couple of days, couple of weeks.. I realize one thing: I hate time. I hate it's foreshadowing. I hate it's bluntness. PaigeAlex slash. Palex.
1. Straight Forward

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back. I know, I've been like fighting writer's block for awhile, but I've recovered from my relapse and wrote this. This is my first Palex fic and first songfic, so please. Be gentle. **

**As for the disclaimer, I don't own Degrassi:TNG, Palex, or anything associated with it. And I don't own the song. That belongs to Faith Hill. Though I will admit, I'd love to own both. But sadly, I don't... Enough with that. On with the fic. **

You were always the smart one, Paige.

These words are on an endless loop inside my head as I sit at this lonesome table inside The Dot. I really don't know how long I've been sitting here. Could've been minutes, could've been hours, but judging from the sun slowly making it's way to the other side of the earth, I'd say that it's been hours.

_I've tried with all my might,_

_but still don't understand why_

_we ever let it get so out of hand_

_My arms are reaching out and holding on tight_

_to what has always felt so right_

_It's hard to figure out the answers to the questions_

_when both the lives are going in seperate directions_

I kinda find it amazing how time works. How sometimes it can go by so fast, and other times.. so slow. Take today for instance. In the hours, weeks, even months leading up to Alex breaking up with me, everything's been going by so fast. It's like I haven't had any time to grasp any thing. Any single piece of it. Of our relationship. Of Alex. And that's the one thing I've hated since day one: time, and how it _just flies _by.

But now, now when time should be speeding up, speeding up the healing, is it? No. No, it's dragging on.

Making every second seem like a minute. Every minute like an hour. Every hour like a day. And every day like a year.

_One is breaking into two  
and my heart is turning blue  
and you still don't get it, do you, do you  
I thought we had all the love to go it for the long run  
So before the damage is done  
Let's start back over at one_

Another thing I hate about time? Foreshadowing. Like with time, it'll start telling you things. Things about the future. It'll start dropping little hints that things'll get better, or as of the moment, worse. I used to like this little characteristic about time. I used to like when it would tell me things. Like when I first met Alex.

The love to hate relationship.

Working at the theather.

Alex getting my job back.

All those things? Yeah. That was time talking. Foreshadowing my soon-to-be future._ Our _soon-to-be future. The relationship blossoming before my eyes. Before_ our _eyes.

Time started talking again when me and Alex started hanging out more.

Dumping Spinner.

The college fair.

Premiere night.

Oh my god,_ premiere night_. Time was practically screaming in my face that night.

Alex not letting me stay home with Ben & Jerry.

"Looking hot" and "making Kevin regret."

Alex pushing the hair out of my eyes.

The heated dancing.

Being drunk on water.

Jay.

Going back to Alex's and talking to her mom.

Chad pushing Alex off the end table.

Bringing her back home.

"I'm in trouble, Paige."

Kissing.

Kissing back.

_Lights out, when every evening used to get so hot now_

_We got so damned distracted, we forgot how_

_to lock the world away and just get lost in_

_where you end and where I begin_

_Love is strong but it's so easy to divide_

_So girl, let's think about how much is on the line_

I know for a fact that time lost it's voice that night, since time wouldn't talk to me the next day. No, it refused to talk to me. Refused to foreshadow. Refused to help. It wouldn't help me figure out what I wanted. Instead, time left that to myself and Kevin Smith, and boy, do I love Kevin Smith.

See, it was moments like those where I liked time. Liked that it would talk to me. Give me little spoilers on how my life was going to turn out, like some television show based messageboard on the internet. But when I think back on it now, think back to the past couple of days, couple of weeks.. I realize one thing: I** hate **time. I **hate **it's foreshadowing. I **hate** it's bluntness.

"It's called living in the now."

"Banting's like the Harvard of the North."

"It's your future Paige, not mine."

And lastly, "You were always the smart one, Paige."

_One is breaking into two  
and my heart is turning blue  
and you still don't get it, do you, do you  
I thought we had all the love to go it for the long run  
So before the damage is done  
Let's start back over at one_

Yes, the same words that have been playing on loop inside my head. And yes, the same exact reason I hate time.

Suddenly a voice brings me out of my thoughts and loathing, "Hot date with your course calendar?"

Spinner.

I look around the small cafe, instantly noticing that I'm the only customer left. Well now, isn't this awkward?

"Um... Alex and I broke up. I just needed to be alone," I'm not fooling anyone tonight. Straight forward is exactly what I need to be.

"Welcome to Splitsville. You're in the right place," Wow. Him and Darcy too? Wonder if Spinner talked to time as well. If he did, wonder if he's loathing it just as much as I am.

"You too?"

"Yeah. I wish I was getting out of here like you," Is he envying me? _Me? _Usually I'd enjoy it, but now's really the not the time.

"Mmm, do not envy me. Sure, I got into Banting, but.." Here comes the moment of truth. The thing that's been swimming around my head for weeks, for months, years, "..what if I blow it? What if everyone sees that I'm just this big faker who doesn't belong there?" Yep. Straight forward is exactly what I'm being tonight.

"Paige, you totally belong there. Take it from someone who knows, kay? You're amazing. You always have been."

Okay, so, I'll admit that being calling amazing by an _ex-boyfriend _after breaking up with my _girlfriend_ was hard to hear, but I'll still appreciate his efforts.

"Thanks," I start to roam for some spare cash to pay for my order, when Spinner speaks up, "No extra charge," I smile gratefully, "Oh man, the time. Um, can I drive you home?"

I nod. I know I'm in no condition to drive, "Sure. That'd be great Spin."

He smiles and walks behind the counter to grab his keys when I speak up again, suddenly changing my mind, "Actually Spin, could you maybe.. drive me to Alex's?"

Yeah, straight forward is exactly what I'm being tonight.

_Start back over at one._

**A/N: Hah! Yeah, that's right. I took out the Spinner/Paige kiss! I had to. It made me cringe really bad during the episode. So yeah, what'd ya guys think? I'm currently working on a second parter for this and i'll probably be posting it tomorrow. Please R&R! **

**Peace&Love- bohemianxx.**


	2. Confidence

**A/N: Okay guys, sorry for not updating sooner. I know I said I would post the day after posting the first chapter.. but, school got in the way. As always. So yeah, I'm sorry. Plus, I wanted to make this super good for ya'll. Didn't want to rush it when my muse wasn't talking. Ya know? Well alright, here it is. **

**Disclaimer: I don't anything. At all. Not even the title. So please, don't sue.**

_Our love's the moon  
Our love's the kingdom come  
Our love's the flame_

_Our love is true  
Our love's the rising sun  
Our love's in bloom  
Our love has just begun  
Our love is proof  
Of what was yet to come  
But you don't want it, you don't want to take_

Instead of heading over to Alex's right away, I asked Spinner to take me to my house first. If Project:Get Alex Back was going to work, well, I needed to grab some... _equipment_. On the plus side, no one's home. So I could just get in, get out, and hopefully get my love life back on track.

"Hey Paigey!" Or so I _thought_ I could.

I turned around to face the eldest Michalchuk offspring, "Dylan," I say quite irritated. I mean, out of all the damn nights he could possibly choose to "bond", he chooses _tonight?_

He picks up right away on the annoyance dripping off my lips, "Is that any way to greet your big bro? I think not."

Yeah, his sarcasm isn't something I want to deal with tonight, "Usually? No. But tonight? Yes. Anyway, I gotta go, so.."

I try to make a quick sprint towards the door, but his strong hand grabbing my arm beats me to it, "Why? What's up with tonight?"

He's silent for a moment, looking quite concerned, but that immediately fades. Replaced by his immaturity.

"Ooooh! Hot date with Alex?" squeals from his lips.

On a regular night, I would love his playful comment, but tonight isn't all that regular, now is it?

"No, Dylan, I don't. Quite the opposite actually," I just short of whisper the last part, hoping he wouldn't comprehend.

"The opposite? How so?" Damn these Michalchuks and their bionic-like sense of hearing. "Are you alright Paige? What's going on?" Words are pouring out of his mouth a mile a minute now. "Did Alex hurt you? Did Spinner? Hazel?... MARCO?!" I wince at the volume his voice has now taken.

"Hun, hun! Please! Calm down!" My hands squeeze his broad shoulders to put a stop to his accusations. I walk him over to the couch, and sit across from him on the coffee table, "Now... promise me you'll calm down, please?" He nods his consent, "Okay, good. Because what I'm about to tell you, might make you..make you.. well, make you not calm. So _please_, I need you to promise me okay?"

Once again, he nods, "Alright. Now, nor Spinner, Hazel, or Marco hurt me in any way. So, you can just get that idea out of your head. But.." I pause, not really knowing any better way to say this, "Alex broke up with me today." Hey, I'm being straight forward tonight, right? So what the hell.

His eyes get as big as Hazel's everytime we're at the mall, "She WHAT?!" I can't really say that I expected him to keep his promise.

I nod sadly, "Yes, hun. She did, but I--"

"WHY?! Why would she do that? I thought you said she loved you? And that you loved her?" There goes those mile a minute words again. "Haven't you guys only been going out for a few months? Why would she end it so quickly? Is it about school? Is it about her home? Is it about her friends?" Insert pause. "OH MY GOD! Is it Jay?" Insert gasp. "I KNEW IT! I knew she was cheating on you with Jay!" Insert groan. "Oooh! Wait 'til I see him! I am SO going to--"

"DYLAN!" My voice booms through the entire house and his lips stop moving, ceasing his perpetual talking.

"Dylan.. now, I know you're worried and you're angry, but please. Let me talk for a little bit, kay?" He nods.

"Okay, Alex broke up with me today because.. well, she says that we both have different futures. Says that there's no way in hell or any alternative universe that we could work out. She thinks that I'll go to Banting, start meeting all these new people and starting a new life, while simultaneously falling out of my life _with her_," I pause, sighing, "Now, I know she's wrong, and that she's scared. I've had a few hours to think today... and I've realized that she did it out of _fear. _I could tell by the way her eyes looked while she was breaking up with me. As if she were_ forcing _herself to break up with me. Forcing herself to believe every word that left her mouth," Another pause, another sigh, "And you were right Dyl, with what you said earlier. I _do_ love her, and she loves me. I _know_ it, and I was maybe planning on winning her back. Tonight. As in right now."

I motion towards the door, and Dylan's face lights up like a Christmas tree. "Right now?" He asks. I nod.

"PAIGE! Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" He's pulling me from my position on the coffee table to the front door so fast, I think I'll get whiplash.

The next thing I know, I'm out on our front porch staring at the now closed door. Wow. I still don't know where my family gets all it's enthusiasm from. Must be in the genetics. As I slowly turn around to face Spinner's car (which surprisingly, is still there), the front door swings open, and I'm instantly wrapped up in a bear hug. A good luck is whispered in my ear, and suddenly I'm once again faced with the pale color of our front door.

It's in the genes, I'm telling you.

I quickly run down the walkway and into Spinner's car, throwing my "equipment" in the backseat. "Sorry about that Spin. You know how Dylan is. Quite the talker."

He nods, understanding. He has afterall seen Dylan's speaking at it's best. During the many dinners Spinner has stayed for, "It's cool. Don't worry about it, Paige."

He quickly starts the engine, and off we go. Project:Get Alex Back now in progress.

_It was so easy, we were so young  
It's only natural to come undone  
At the end of this evening, before the rise of the sun  
You're coming with me, you're coming with me_

---------------------------

I've been standing outside of Alex's apartment for about ten minutes now.

I have to say that the phrase, "It's easier said than done", has never been more true. I was so confidant about this not even a whole hour ago, but now, faced with the realization that the love of my life could reject me within a few minutes.. my confidence has started to wear thin.

I lift my hand, for the hundredth time, preparing to knock on the door. But put it down, for the hundredth time.

Okay, okay Paige. You can do this, right? Right. You love her, right? Right. So that's all there is to it.

I lift my hand once again, but this time actually making contact with the wooden door. Seconds that seem to last an eternity pass, and suddenly I'm faced with a certain raven haired beauty.

"Paige.." breathes from her lips. I know she definately wasn't expecting me to show up here. To fight for her. For us.

I stare into her eyes before speaking, noticing that they're bloodshot. Has she been crying? Boy, does she really know how to boost my wearing confidence.

I nod slowly after a few seconds. Flashing my eyes back and forth between her own chocolate ones and the inside of her living room, she nods. Understanding that I want to be let in. She moves aside and I walk into her apartment. Okay, no backing down now.

It's now or never.

_If this is the end, I don't wanna know  
I just want to bide my time  
If this is the end, I don't wanna go  
I just want you by my side  
If this is the end_

**A/N: Okay, so there you have it, the second chapter. Did you like it? Did you hate it? Concrit is always welcome. Also, I have another chapter for this. I thought I'd only be writing two chapters, but while listening to Faith Hill, I realized that I could use another song that would so fit with this. So, I decided to extend it a bit. So, expect that third chapter within the next few days. I'm also planning a little oneshot sequel for this too. I don't know. Well, enough of my talking.. REVIEW!.. please? -puppy pout-**

**Peace&Love- bohemianxx.**


	3. John Cusack

**A/N: Okay, guys. Sorry for the delay. School's been kicking my butt.. again. You know how the beginning of the year is. Get this, get that. BLAHBLAHBLAH. So, yeah. Anyway, here it is. The last installment of "Journey Beyond the Moon." The italics are flashbacks. Enjoy! R&R! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Song belongs to Faith Hill.**

I move over to her couch as fast as I can, partially in fear of being kicked out, and partially from the adrenaline rush I'm getting from the thought of actually having Alex in my arms again within just a few minutes.

She sits down beside me, not saying a thing. I think I'll take this as my cue to talk. "Where's Chad? Your mom?"

She shakes her head nonchalantly, "Out." I guess I can't really say that I was expecting her to be all that chatty tonight.

I nod. "Oh.. well I--" She cuts in.

"Why are you here, Paige?" Ah, I see someone's being a tad straight forward themselves tonight.

"I just wanted to see you, is all." She looks at me as if I just told her Marco was straight. I then add, "Wanted to talk a bit, too."

She nods, scoffing, "Why? What could you possibly want to talk about?" Now it's my turn to look at her as if she just said Marco wasn't gay.

"What do you mean why? What, I don't get to talk to you now?" Pause, "We're not even going to stay friends?"

She remains silent for a bit, as if thinking how she should phrase her more than likely sarcastic remark.

"I'm sorry, Paige. Go on, what do you want to talk about?" Wow, I wasn't expecting that.

I have to say that her being so.. so.. _humble _at a time like this is rather surprising. But then again, it's also rather surprising that she even let me in the door. Alright, she wants me to go on? I'll go on. Remember Paige, straight forward. _Straight forward_.

I slip off the black duffle I've been carrying since I left Spinner's car. Before I get a chance to open it up and unveil it's contents, a "what's in the bag?" leaves Alex's lips.

"Shh, hun," is all I answer back. Alex was never one to like surprises, and I was never one with the capability to hold them. But right now, I'm putting her interests off to the side, and fighting back every urge to just kiss her until she takes me back.

Out of my bag I pull out a small stereo and one of my most precious CDs, Faith Hill's "Breathe."

Alex sees my essentials and I know she remembers. Speaking up she says, "Paige, don't--"

"Shhhh," I interrupt her. She's not going to ruin this, protest this. I won't let her. Not tonight.

Pressing play on the keypad, a guitar followed by a female's voice fills the air.

_I can feel the magic floating in the air  
Being with you gets me that way_

Realization of what the song is, what it means, what I'm about to do, strikes all of her features, "No, Paige--"

Once again she tries to protest, and once again I interrupt her. "Dance with me, Alex," I breathe in a husky voice, pleading.

Like I said, tonight is all about being straight forward. Tonight is all about force. Forcing her to remember what this song means, to the both of us. Forcing her to give me a chance. Forcing her to face that I'm not backing down. Not when I've come this far.

She looks at me for a moment, deciding whether or not to trust me. Whether or not to see where this goes. Whether or not she should let the memory overtake her entire being.

She accepts to all three and takes my hand. And..we dance.

--------------------

_The cool breeze keeps rustling both of our hairs as we sit under a great, big oak tree in the park. It's around five in the afternoon, and Alex and I have been sitting here since school let out. It's been a rough week for the both of us. We've hardly had any time to see eachother. _

_I mean, __**really **__see eachother. _

_Sure, we've walked to class together a few times, had a couple of lunches, she's even sat through a few Sprit Squad practices. But, I haven't kissed her in a couple of days. At least nothing more than chaste, anyway._

_And I can't even begin to tell you just how much that has been__** killing **__me. I don't know what it is about this girl, but she's giving me feelings that neither Spinner nor Matt could ever ignite. Sure, I guess I liked Spinner and Matt alot, but my feelings towards them couldn't compare even in the slightest to what I feel for Alex. Alex makes me laugh. Makes me feel giddy about 98 percent of the time. Makes me hate sleeping, because being awake is just oh so much better. Makes me want to learn her body inside and out. Makes me believe in a future that'll be so bright, it'll be blinding._

_And most important: she makes me feel __**loved**_

_But the thing is, I'm not even sure if she does in fact__** love **__me. She hasn't said it yet. And even though I do love the blame game, I haven't said it myself either. I want to though, don't get me wrong. I want to scream from the hilltops. Write across the sky. Yell into the school's intercom, that I, Paige Michalchuk, love Alex Nunez. But the thing is... I'm scared to. I've never said the L word out loud. Or at least, not to anyone that I wasn't related to. I almost said it Spinner once. __**Almost**__. But I as I was trying to grow the balls to tell him, I realized that if he did say it back, it was only because he'd feel obligated. That's just the type of guy Spinner was. He wouldn't want to "leave me hanging," in a sense. _

_Spinner's a great guy and all, but I knew he didn't love me. I knew I didn't love him. I knew he wasn't the one. I knew he wasn't my future. _

_And most of all, I knew he wasn't Alex._

_As for Matt, well, Matt was so much of a mistake, it's not even funny. That much was apparent when he gave me that joint as a "going away" gift. I always wanted to believe that Matt was the one, but somewhere deep down, I knew I was only kidding myself. What we had was a fling. There wasn't even the slightest amount of structure in our relationship. _

_There wasn't a mutual path set out for the both of us. There was only a dead end._

_Though if I do see Matt around again, I'd like to thank him. Thank him for breaking up with me. Thank him for disappointing me. Thank him for the joint. Because honestly? All the things he did, only pushed me farther into Alex's arms. A place I __**never**__ want to leave. _

_Suddenly I start to feel slow kisses being placed along my neck, torturing me in the most pleasant of ways. And as just as soon as they started, they end, "Where are you, Paigey?" _

_Where am I? Toronto. Park. __**Heaven**__. "I'm right here, Alex. Where are __**you**__?" _

_This earns me a laugh. "Hmm, I'd have to say... sanctuary." _

_I look over into her chocolate eyes and I can just feel the honesty spilling out of them, and quickly pooling into mine. I realize then, __**right then**__, that today is the day that I have to tell her I love her. No doubt about it. She needs to hear it and I need to get it off my chest. Slowly, little drops of rain start to fall from the sky._

_"Guess every good thing must come to an end, huh?" Oh, how right she is. _

_A crack of thunder erupts from the sky, and it begins raining cats and dogs. We run with our hands grasped for what seems like forever to the parking lot. Finally reaching my mom's van, we're both soaked down to the bone with water. Shuffling inside, I turn on the heater and look at Alex. Her already dark hair is darker and matted to her face. Her white wifebeater has turned see through and the ends of her jeans have turned dark blue. Drops of rain are slowly making routes down her cheek. One drop, two drop, three. _

_She's still the most beautiful person I've ever seen._

_Alex's eyes drift over to mine and she smiles, "Take a picture. It'll last longer," Ever the smartass, my girlfriend. _

_I only smirk at her before starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. Half way down the block I decide to turn on the radio. The thing about me and Alex is that we don't always need to fill in those little gaps of silence between us. We can just leave them be and be content with eachother's company. That's something I've never had with anyone else. So usually when we drive, I just put on some music because we both know we're just as happy as we would be if we were talking._

_Switching the station a few times, I finally come across a song I __**love**__. 'Breathe' by Faith Hill. I actually own the CD with this single on it, but I haven't listened to it in awhile. It's probably buried beneath piles and piles of underwear inside my dresser somewhere and I'm honestly too lazy to go and look for it. I find this song calming though. The lyrics, the slow guitar riffs, the smooth voice. It's all so soothing. So comforting. So warm. _

_Just like Alex. This song reminds me of her, actually. All the warm, little fuzzy feelings it ignites in me are the same warm, little fuzzy feelings Alex sparks. But then again, what love song __**doesn't **__remind me of Alex?_

_I turn my head a bit and notice Alex's lips moving in sync with the radio._

_"_**All my thoughts just seem to settle on the breeze  
When I'm lying wrapped up in your arms**_"_

_Wow. Alex likes __**this **__song? I never could of guessed. Alex has never really been the.. mushy type. Well, __**okay**__. That's a lie. But, when she's mushy, she's mushy with her movements, like cuddles and kisses. She's never really struck me as the John Cusack type, willing to hold a radio over her head._

_  
"_**The whole world just fades away  
The only thing I hear  
Is the beating of your heart**_"_

_As we continue to get closer and closer to my house, I continue to watch Alex out of the corner of my eye. Her lips are barely even moving, but I hear her voice loud and clear. Her angelic voice that sends shivers down my spine__** each **__and __**every **__time._

"__**Cause I can feel you breathe  
It's washing over me  
Suddenly I'm melting into you  
There's nothing left to prove  
Baby, all we need is just to be**_"_

_I decide to turn down the volume a bit, straining just to hear her a bit better. Her lips continue to move, not stopping or screwing up once. Not even noticing the lowered music. Not even noticing my content and persisent staring. No, all she pays attention to are the riffs and raindrops on the window pane. All she pays attention to are the words she must know by heart._

_"_**Caught up in the touch  
The slow and steady rush  
Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be  
I can feel you breathe  
Just breathe**_"_

_As the last note gets higher, so does Alex's voice. With the way she can sing, I don't understand why she didn't ever join choir at school. Or even start a band. The latter would be more typical "badass Alex" though. I giggle at the thought of what Alex's reaction would be if I suggested she'd join choir. I know by now that I probably wouldn't even get a verbal responce. Just a look that said, "__**You've got to be kidding,**__" with a "__**No one can see my soft side baby, only you,**__" subtext._

_Giggling again, I realize that the music has stopped playing and that Alex is staring at me as if I've suddenly grown an extra head._

_"Are you okay, Paige?" She asks, with mild concern, but also with a hint of amusement._

_"Yeah, hun. I'm fine. I was just enjoying your singing," I smile broadly._

_She blushes, "Oh, you uh, you heard that?" _

_"Well, it __**is**__ a small car, Alex." I say matter of factly, basking in my girlfriend's sudden embarrassment._

_She giggles along with me. "Oh, yeah," she pauses, sobering up. "Well, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to distract you while er, driving."_

_As if anything she does could ever be a__** bad **__distraction. "As if anything you do could be a __**bad **__distraction. Hun, like I said, I was __**enjoying**__ it. You sing really well. How come you've never sang in front of me before?"_

_She smiles, "Well, hate to break it to you Paigey, but your choice of music sucks. You with your Backroad Boys and In Stink."_

_"Hun, first of all, my music __**does not **__suck. Second of all, it's __**Backstreet Boys **__and__** Nsync**__." _

_"Same thing," she says as I turn off the engine, finally reaching my house._

_"So, you're telling me that you don't like either of them, but you like Faith Hill? Wow. I've never seen you as the 'Howdy ya'll' type," I say with a __**very**__ visible smirk._

_She blushes, "I'm not. I just like that __**one **__song. Sue me," her face then turns serious. "My.. my cousin used to play it all the time when I used to visit. I'd only go over there when.. when my mom's boyfriends would get a little fist happy," she says the last part with a chuckle that was not in any way meant to be funny._

_I gasp, suddenly feeling guilty teasing her about that. "Hun--" _

_She continues, louder this time. "It hurt too much to stay in the house with them.. with my mom. So, I would go over to my Aunt's house and my cousin Sophia would play it alot. It was comforting. Her voice was comforting. The lyrics were comforting. It helped, helped alot." She pauses, but this time looking so much more.. shy? _

_"I always used to lay in Sophia's bed while listening to this and think about the future. Think about how one day, this would be the song I'd dance to at prom, have my first kiss to, play at my wedding. This would be the song I'd share with someone I really, __**really**__ cared about. And I always knew that they'd be better than the guys that my mom dated." Grabbing my hand, she finishes, "And how right I was."_

**In a way I know my heart is waking up  
As all the walls come tumbling down  
I'm closer than I've ever felt before  
And I know, and you know  
There's no need for words right now**

_Wow. What do you say to__** that**__? I mean, she just put so much of herself out there. So much of her past on display, showing it to me. _

_She looks up from where her eyes were previously locked on our intertwined hands, "Paige--"_

_"ILOVEYOU," spills from my lips so quickly, I'm not even sure she caught it. _

_Her eyes widen and she's barely able to choke out, "What?" I guess she __**did **__catch it. _

_"Yes. Alex Nunez, I. Love. You," this time, I say it much slower. "I love you so much. With everything I have. More than anyone. Beyond the sky. Beyond the Earth. __**Beyond the moon**__. I know we've only been together for a month, but it feels like it's been so much more longer than that. Maybe.. maybe that's because it's has. Maybe I fell in love with you while you were running for class president. Maybe I fell in love with you when you got my job back at the theater. Hell, maybe I even fell in love with you the second I layed my eyes on you. I don't know. But does any of that really matter? ..__**No**__. The only thing that matters... is that __**I**__**Love**__**You**__." _

_She doesn't say anything, just stares at me. So, I sit back and wait for a responce. Because honestly, if I were in her position, I'd probably look the same way. I've never given this much of myself to anyone, nor has anyone ever given this much of themselves to me. So, I guess I can only imagine how.. __**overwhelming**__ it must be._

_"Paige.." she pauses, and my heart rate quickens, because right now I'm fearing the worst. Even though I get that it's overwhelming, I also get that she may not feel the same. May not be as ready as I am. Sure, she kissed me first and everything, but still. That doesn't mean she's__** in love **__with me. Like me, yes, but love? _

_For just four letters, that's a big word. _

_"I love you too." _

**Caught up in the touch  
The slow and steady rush  
Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be  
I can feel you breathe  
Just breathe**

--------------------

_I can feel the magic floating in the air  
Being with you gets me that way_

By the time the final chord is struck, our cheeks are glistening with tears. I think we've both been crying from the second I asked her to dance.

Chocolate clashes with aqua as our eyes finally meet. We've been staring at each other the entire time, but I think we're just barely _seeing_ each other now. We're just barely_ feeling _each other now. During the song, we were somewhere else. Somewhere where everything's okay. Somewhere where the circumstances are different. Somewhere like my mom's van on a rainy day.

But, it's like right now, everything's okay anyway. There's no graduation, no Banting, no breaking up. Just us, just _this_. There's no need to be lost in another world an eternity ago in my mom's van, because right now, this seems just as good.

But just like that, our safe haven comes crashing down.

"Paige, w-we can't," Alex stutters through sniffles. "It's too hard."

She pulls away from me, moving to the other side of the living room, wrapping her arms securely around herself.

"What's hard?" I ask. She looks at me, probably preparing to give me a snarky remark, but I beat her to it. "Is kissing me hard? Is cuddling with me hard? Is being happy hard? Is loving one another_ hard?!_"

I pause, allowing her time to respond, but she just keeps her eyes glued to the floor, silent. So, I continue. "There's nothing hard about any of those things, Alex. You're just afraid." This causes her to look at me now. "Yeah, that's right. I said it. You're _afraid! _You know, you always try to put up this 'badass' act, but I know better. I've _seen _the real you, Alex! The real little Lexi inside of you that has feelings.. that can love.. that can hurt. That _can be afraid_." Another pause, "But isn't that all the more reason to trust me? To love me? Alex, you--"

"I KNOW PAIGE!" Her voice booms throughout the small apartment, startling me a little. "I know! But it's just not that easy!"

"WHY?!" Now it's my turn to boom. "Why isn't it Alex?! It used to be! It used to be easy! Used to be enough! Is that what it is, Alex? Am I not _enough_?"

"You know that's not true," she mumbles, instantly looking scared. Maybe even a little defeated.

"Do I? Why would you break up with me? You say it's because I'm going to Banting, but is that all? I could maybe understand if you weren't into long distance relationships, but we could at least try. At least give it a shot. How come you don't want to try, Alex? Huh?! Is it because you'd rather--"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, YOU IDIOT!" Once again, her voice sends me into silence. I stand there, dumbfounded.

"So much, it scares the crap out of me!" She's crying more now, "And that's exactly it, Paige. I love you _so_ much, that I _have_ to let you go."

"That's stupid," I mumble.

"No, Paige. It's not. Because I know what's going to happen at Banting. Some six foot tall, blonde hair, blue eyed boy is going to sweep you off your feet. And what happens, then? Do I just.. move on? Forget about it? Forget about _you_?" I try to think up an answer, but she starts to speak again. "No, I can't Paige! That's something I could never do. But the thing is, even though I can't forget you, I can at least_ try _and get over you. Even in the slightest."

Those words sting. I don't think that was what she was aiming for, but they do. The thoughts of Alex in some other_ woman's _arms gives me shivers. The bad kind too. The kind you get during horror movies. The thought that Alex would share her body with any other female other than me makes me so jealous and upset at once, that I can't even begin to explain.

"And if I start the healing process now, maybe it won't hurt as much by the time fall rolls around," she whispers this time, looking down at the floor for the first time since she's started talking.

"Hun," I begin as I step closer to her. "Listen to me when I say this, okay?" She nods. "I would never, and I mean_ never_, leave you. I don't ever want to. I love so much too, Alex. So much it scares the crap_ out of me_."

"But--" She begins to protest for the hundredth time, but I quickly shut her up, denying her any more words.

"No, Alex. No but's. No what about's. No nothing. I want to try this, I want to make this work. I want to make _us_ work. Months ago, you asked me to not play around with you. With your feelings, now all I'm asking is the same in return. All I want is for you to try with me, Alex. Be happy with me. Because sweetie, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Her eyes widen at my sudden honesty. Mine do too. I never said that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Never said I wanted to have a home with her. Family with her. _Life_ with her. But now as a smile spreads across her face, I'm glad I said it.

"Really?" she asks, smile widening more, if that's even possible.

"Yes, hun. I do," I pause to flash her a smile all my own. "I want to give you everything I have. Everything I can. Share everything with you. Be with you forever. I won't ever let anyone or anything get between that again. Not even some blond hair, blue--" Instantly lips are on mine, and instantly I stop talking.

I kissed her mere hours ago, but the thing is, it's never felt like this. I never felt this much electricty. This much heat. This much.._ joy. _

The joy of a new beginning. A clean slate. A happy ending.

"Me too, Paige," she says when we break apart. I smile. No words need to be used right now, because no words could ever express the happiness I'm feeling.

Project:Get Alex Back accomplished.

**A/N: Okay, that's the end of it. Did you like it, hate it? Tell me. Review!**

**I want to thank every one who reviewed. You've all been so kind. **

**Peace&Love- bohemianxx.**


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